Repurposed: the metallic opera {Rated M} [IC]

[Koti~]

Shin growled internally, glaring daggers at the larger man before letting out a massive huff and following the Mecagoth. She felt as though dismissed, easily as the rest had done with her in the past who knew how many days. The want to reclaim her stuff was not so easily brushed off, and knowing that she was stuck here with this junk man made her pissed off. She gripped her arms tighter as they moved further into the asteroid. She looked at the red arrows, surprised at the rather spacious tunnels of the asteroid. Had she not been pulled here without any form of consent, she would actually want to explore the ship.

“I still want your help reclaiming my stuff. Say what you will about revenge, but there is a point of pride that I will not abandon.” Shin spoke as she caught up with the man, a fierce look upon her face. While she could understand waiting for the ship to finish the update, there wasn’t any reason to stop hounding the man.

“I understand that revenge is bad, but you don’t get it. The ship I worked on, the stuff I made, I poured my soul into it. I put almost all my life savings into making that ship my own, and I don’t want it to waste away in some junkheads garage.” Shinkei spoke, moving up closer to the man and letting out a sigh. She let her shoulders slump, feeling more of the built up tension and stress leave her body.

“I’m not asking for revenge, just some help to get my stuff back.” Shinkei asked him one more time, trying to remain calm while looking towards him. Anger had gotten her nowhere fast, so she needed another approach.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Vex-Star rolled his eyes shrugging his coat up higher around his ears and shoved his hands deep into the pockets. He could tell this chick wasn't going to drop it, maybe this stupid little revenge mission could bear some fruits he could use. At the very least maybe he could take her ship for himself or ditch her somewhere under the guise of helping her.

Both thoughts had their appeal, but that small annoying part of himself called a conscience nagged him. Of all the useless evolutionary traits the Mecagoths could've gotten rid of of why couldn't they get rid of this one? Finally he decided to let out a low groan and concede. "Ugh fine...I'll take help you with your revenge plot, I just hope you have a plan for it. Even if Lilith gets fully upgrades and fixed, she's a scavver ship. Minimal guns and armor built for speed and stealth, and the three of us are hardly a convincing boarding party. So I ain't gonna run headfirst at anyone especially since I'm something of a wanted man by the Recycler Guilds around the quadrant."

Leading the girl down a few more twisting corridors the air began to get much colder and as they stopped in front of an old metal door there looked to be frost on the plating. Tapping his knuckle on the door Vex zipped his coat up to his chin. "About a decade ago some rich assholes tried to turn this hunk of rock into a space station/resort thing for other rich assholes. They got it all built up and stock, but too many ships got destroyed trying to navigate the asteroid belt. So not a year after it opened they cut their losses and fled on back to Terra Six where they had come from. They took most of the really high end shit with them, but a few clothing, book, shoe, and hardware stores couldn't afford to take their whole stock with them so they ditched and left too." Pressing his shoulder to the door he began shaking the rust and frost from it. "Even with all the pressurized doors and corridors it's cold as fuck in there and the only electricity is solar powered way at the far end of the complex." The door finally gave a loud groan as the rust and ice gave way then with a hefty kick he nearly broke the door down giving them both a blast in the face of cold air that rushed out from the darkness.

Coughing lightly the scavenger pulled a plasma glow rod from his pocket and turned it on the low buzzing of the plasma filling their ears and lighting up the world around them for ten feet or so. Putting one hand back in his pocket he clicked through his multi-sensor vision looking for vermin or damage to the hull. "Looks good, come on the shoe depot is just around the corner on the left."

[Koti~]

Shin felt her entire body shudder with cold, prompting her to wrap her hands tight against her frame as the cold wind bit into every bit of skin it could reach. She was now really regretting not using the footwear that she had been able to find, as at least that would be able to give her some protection against the frozen ground. Looking past the lumbering mans shoulders, Shin finally could see the resort town that they made their home on. She blinked though, another shudder against the cold running through her body, teeth chattering as she followed behind the man. The place was almost exactly what she expected, and yet much better than what she thought. Part ghost town, part casino, the place felt like someone tried to make an earth western like the old days.

Fully lit up, she could see how appealing everything may have been. Years of dust and disuse took away much of the appeal, but one place stuck out in high relief for her. Not caring much if Vex was saying anything, Shin made her way quickly to the closest clothing store, a near break neck pace to get into the building and into footwear. The locked doors offered minimal resistance when she put the full strength of her core behind it, feeling a bit woozy after nearly bending the handle into scrap. She winced though as pain broke through the cold, wishing that she could honestly shut that part of her body off.

“I’m getting shoes first.” Shinkei shouted back across her shoulder as she danced through the store, the cold tile just as bad as the stones outside, following faded and dark signs towards her goals. She bypassed the womens shoe sections, knowing fancy resorts would be geared towards heels and the like, the last thing she could ever think of using while on an asteroid. At least the mens shoes would better suit her likes more. She didn’t pay much mind to Vex while hunting around for a good sturdy pair that would be even remotely to her size, picking through the slim remains that were left behind.

“So, how did you find this place?” Shinkei asked her companion while she settled down onto the nearest bench, feeling the cold eat through the thin layer of cloth as she tried on the 5 different pairs of shoes, hoping to find a decent pair of the least non-dressy shoes she had managed to find for her wants.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Leaning against the wall nearest the bench Vex shrugged his head deeper into the collar of his coat. He watched her pick through the men's shoes, his eyes scanning the dim room. It'd been a few weeks since he'd been in here when he first landed he had picked through the old ruins for anything useful. Aside from some of the tools most of the shit he found was too broken down or had no use to him. And after that he'd never come back here. It was too creepy for him, plus he was sure the pressurized tunnels were a small rockslide away from imploding and blowing this whole fucking place into the vacuum of space and he was not eager to test the Mecagoth's resilience to space.

Letting out a low yawn he slipped his hands deeper into his pockets. "I crash landed here about two months ago when I was escaping the Astro Augments Company. It was just after I quit my job with them and stole the Gamma Burst. Though this wasn't my original destination, they just whacked us with and EMP discharge and here we landed." He motioned his head around at the dark and creaky shopping ruins.

[Koti~]

“Huh, the AAC? Not a place I would really see you working. I figured you’d be more of a body guard job.” Shinkei spoke as she finally slipped on a pair of mens tennis shoes that would at least work for protection. The cake of dust had not tarnished the black leather as she gave them a few test jogs, not liking the minor slip along the tile. They had offered the most grip that she would get for need.

“So that does explain how you met Lilith. So, why have you been hanging out here?” Shinkei asked as she moved back towards him, the cold having mitigated some just from the buildings exterior. She wanted nothing more than to find a good pair of coats, but the current shop had very little to offer here.

“Onto another note, lets head up to the second level. Most everything down here is gonna be too small for what I need.” Shinkei spoke, already on the move towards a broken down escalator to head up to the next level.

[SikstaSlathalin]

The alien shrugged following the girl out. "I was a Recylcer, so pretty much just collecting on bills or collecting the aug the customer couldn't pay for anymore." Everything creaking ominously around them as they went up the old steps each sound making Vex tighten his hands in his pockets. Yup, one rockslide away from being in the vacuum of space. He thought as they reached the somewhat more stable top level. "As for why I stay here, it's safe from most patrols, we landed her by accident for a reason. No one's mapped the asteroid belt enough to make a proper and safe patrol route most who come here wind up a smear on a big ice rock so even if the AAC wanted to come and get me right away it take too long to map it, and by then Lilith and I would be long gone since we have mapped a safe route through this mess."

Looking around the dark mall he gripped her arm gently and led her towards a Venus's Secret lingerie store. "Here this place is the most intact for this sort of thing." Chuckling to himself he didn't bother looking back to see the girl's red annoyed face just expected her to follow along.

The pair moved through the rest of the mall grabbing a healthy supply of clothing and tools for Shinkei. Nearly three hours passed before they returned to the relative warmth of the Captain's smuggler tunnels. Lilith was still being updated so their night ended in silence as they found their bunks and slipped into a dreamless slumber only to awake hours later in what would've most likely been early dawn had they been on a proper planet.

[Koti~]

Shinkei was more than happy to be on her own for this trip, as her face had burned hot enough to warm her body. She had been unceremoniously shoved into an underwear shop. Desire for warmth overrode her desire to go and sock Vex in the jaw. Priorities settled, Shin moved through the store, selecting what seemed the cleanest in her size before finally settling on a pair. From there, she had Vex show her around some more of the clothing stores, picking up a leather jacket and some better fitting clothes that would provide more comfort for her. Once that was settled, Shin’s glasses notified that the ship was ready for the next segment of the reboot process, so off she was to work more on the ships.

Shinkei didn’t bother much with dinner as she began working again on the ships, flitting around to the various control panels and wiring that needed to be addressed. The more errors that popped up, the more shocked she was that the ship still managed to fly in a direct line. Even that shock got old fast. The total time to get the ship back into full operations took her almost to midnight, and some had to be bypassed directly.

‘Tomorrow, for sure, i'm going to see if I can rig any of those security bots to help lift and move the more simple parts I need.’ Shinkei let herself yawn as she stretched all her muscles, feeling joints and servos pop in relief from the extremely long day. She didn’t care to find her host at the time, choosing the first unoccupied bed in the quarters room that wasn’t a pit of moths or space dust. Looking at the timer, it would be full 5 hours before Lilith would start up proper, so enough time to catch some sleep.

‘First thing though, coffee.’ Shinkei half mumbled as she finally drifted off to sleep.

[SikstaSlathalin]

The early dawn moved into late morning before anyone on the ship truly began to stir. And the first to awake was Lilith the entire ship humming gently as the once overclocked processeros finely found the smooth running groove they've been denied for so long. Central air came to life, sending the huge collections of dust motes, webs, and chipping paint flying into the filters and out one of the many exhaust ports outside the Gamma Burst.

Anyone standing outside at the time would've been covered in at least a decade's worth of dust and gunk. Even before she was stolen the Gamma wasn't terribly well taken care of. Once all the gunk was clear though the engines began emitting a sweet plasma filled hum systems booting up like holidays lights all around the ship. The bridge in particular was filled with various alerts and warning blips rattling off systems specs for days. Weapons, shields, life support system, Stealth systems all saying they were now up to date with the latest version. Most of the alerts were about damages nav systems or comms, one screen even gave a life meter on the ship's current fuel cells at about half way.

But the most exciting alerts weren't happening on the Bridge or engine room. Oh no, up in the dark and messy Captain's quarters Vex was passed out flat on his back wearing only a pair of black tight briefs. His bronze skin glinting in the dim lights around his cabin showing life sign readouts and oxygen balance, while the ship powering up made his body twitch at the sudden unknown noises what actually woke him was his Wrist com blinking a very bright blue color glaring right into his eyes. After a few seconds he growled lightly and blinded grabbed the battered old watch device pressing buttons and flipping nobs without really knowing what any of them would do as long as it turned the light off.

And they eventually did, but were just replaced by something he wasn't sure he was seeing. Lilith was sitting on his watch, dressed in just a pair of powder blue panties and lace bra. She was about half a foot taller and looked to be in her twenties now instead of a young teenage girl. More muscle, but still very soft and feminine looking. Her wings were like diamonds now and she had a tail that swished about her feet like a cat's. It took him a few seconds before he remembered where that girl was from. Before he could speak though Lilith spoke. "Morning Oni-chann!" Her voice had also changed it was lower, but more seductive sounding and more pieces began falling in.

Jumping up Vex scrambled to the edge of his bed.
"Since fucking when can you talk to me through my watch!"

Lilith's cute face creased into an almost evil smile.
"Since I got updated Oni-Chan, I can tap into anything on my network. And I finally found out where you got my avatar's visual from."

The Alien's face darkened his fists clenching lightly.
"Oh Fuck."

The A.I. snickered her clothing rapidly changing into a powder blue bomber jacket, with cargo pants and sneakers.
"Oh yes, I can access that folder now perv." Vex tried to move, but Lilith jumped at him and pushed him back onto the bed with some force. "I have never seen such a collection of images before. Who would've thought my Captain was a borderline Loli lover, and you gave Shinkei crap for being a "bit small in the chest and skinny" when you first rescued her. Wonder what she'd think of your little picture gallery?" The A.I. laughed evilly again, but Vex quickly threw her off and bolted from his room not bothering with pants as he stormed down the hall. "STOWAWAY!" He shouted throughout the ship.

[Koti~]

Shin ignored the messages that had already started beeping around her, enjoying the cool sensations as the Central Air kicked in, bringing the room to a comfortable level. She had wired her specs into the main system, so any major updates would be sent to her, just so she would know everything that had been fully finished. Anything that needed her input would be sent her way as well, and pushed to the front of the line. So for the moment, she could just allow herself to sleep, and anything that was urgent would wake her up soon enough. Rest was needed more just to let the shock of the last few days finally settle over her.

Her sleep wasn't long though, as she heard the accursed nickname being screamed down the hall towards her. Shin pulled the blankets tighter around her, trying to drown out the mans incessant screaming, even trying to mentally will the doors to stay closed. That had no effect though, as the man had remained the main commander, and not even she could get rid of those settings. Letting out a huge groan, Shinkei finally sat up, blinking her eyes a few moments as she pulled the holospecs back into place. She let her eyes flicker over the updates as she pulled on her pants and shirt, glad for the underwear as she let out a large yawn.

"Wh--hat do you want. I'm trying to sl-- Woah." Shinkei stopped herself, eyes wide as she glanced at the man in front of her. Standing there in nothing by briefs, she had to admit the man was quite well cut. Her mind took a few moments longer to update everything she saw as her face went bright red with indignation. Feeling her anger building up, she glared back up at him.

"No, I am not going to let you do--... Lily?" Shinkei was distracted long enough from her anger as she spotted the hologram woman. Not even two feet tall, she stood there, a pair of wings and tail complimenting the bomber jacket and cargo pants. Shinkei moved closer, pushing past Vex while studying the woman.

"So, this ship was meant to have F.A.I.S controls? That's higher tech than what I was expecting from a scrapper ship. Seems like this was meant to be an autoship to save money in the long run. Not many people enjoyed those systems, as they seriously messed with the crews after a while." Shinkei spoke, her eyes wandering over the girl and inspecting everything she could, touching and feeling what she could.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Vex's eye twitched lightly as his righteous anger was summarily snuffed as the stowaway got distracted by Lilith's shiny new appearance. These two would be the death of him he was sure of it. Letting out a low annoyed sigh he leaned against the threshold of Shinkei's door and watched her poke and prod the A.I. "This ship was stolen from one of the biggest Augment companies in the Quadrant, having a Full
Automated Intuitive Systems would make sense I guess. Though I can easily see it not being popular for most people."

Lilith simply blew a raspberry up at him and giggled as Shinkei inspected her. "Hehe that tickles, but thank you so much for upgrading me Shinkei, feels like I just woke up from a huge nap and am ready to take on the world!" The little dragon pixie fluttered up and landed on Shinkei's head smirking. "I also learned something very interesting about our Captain if you wanna know."

The pixelated girl giggled as Vex swiped at her with his hand. "I can still blow this ship up you little gnat." He growled breezing past the girls. "Can you please find a way to keep her out of my personal stuff?" He asked pointing an accusing finger at the AI.